African Safari/ Zimabawe-Zambia

Zimbabwe/ Victoria Falls


The Matetsi Water Lodge is located on the Zambezi River with hippos and African Wild dogs sharing the land. Our travel to the Zimbabwe border began with a mud road. About an hour into the drive we came across a pride of young sibling lions. Three male lions with their manes still growing in and two females were lying under some bushes just feet off of the road. See had to back up the land rover so I could get a better view from the front seat. The young lions were enjoying their siesta so much that they totally ignored our presence.

Civilization! The first black top road (the locals called it the Tar Highway) we had seen in over a week was one leading from the edge of the Chobe National Park to the boarder with Zimbabwe. Botswanan soldiers passed us in open trucks , weapons at their sides. We were not told but it seemed obvious that they were on border patrol, protecting the park from poachers who cross from Zimbabwe.
Three African Brown Sables were of the the right side of the road. When See spotted them he took a quick u-turn with the land rover and went down a gravel road to get us a closer look. But we were not quick enough and the sables vanished into the jungle. I did manage to get a few photos that show their distinctive silhouettes.
At the border See had to leave us. He was no longer able to cross the border into Zimbabwe due to political strains between the countries. After passing through customs we boarded a van. Our driver said very little as he offered us some bottled water, stared the engine and took off with great haste. As we exited the boarder compound we noticed baboons had taken over the road way. About 30 of them were blocking our way and did not seem to want to relinquish their territory. The driver honked his horn and raced the engine. Finally they moved to the side of the roadway when a truck coming from the opposite direction showed no signs of slowing down for the primate pranksters. It was about an hours drive to the Matetsi Water Lodge and we were all very anxious to get settled in . To get a bath and have a good nights sleep on a real mattress. What an impressive place. The Matetsi of 36 private bungalows made of wood and stone with thatched roofs. It fronts on the Zambezi River. My bungalow overlooked my hot tub with some very pretty landscaping and the quick flowing river. The inside was very spacious and meticulously decorated. I took a bath before lunch. I took another bath after lunch and one more when we came back from Victoria Falls. Yea, I made up for the time in the jungle.
Victoria Falls was about a 30 minute drive from the Matetsi and we could see the plume of mist that towers a mile above the falls once we were on the main road. At the falls http://www.vicfalls.com/live/ we spent several hours exploring the area and was amazed at the size. Rainbows can be seen from most every angle. I got very wet and spent the evening drying my money and passport. If a raincoat is offered, take it.
After a great meal and some talk around the open pit fire we were all looking forward to a good nights sleep in a real bed. Each of us was given a whistle as we were escorted by armed guard to our bungalow. "Do not venture out alone. If there is an emergency blow the whistle", said the young guard in broken English. Hippos and wild dogs were what we were told to be aware of, but my guess is poachers and thieves were more likely the reason for such concern.

Livingstone, Zambia
"Dr. Livingstone I presume?" A statue of Dr. Livingstone is prominently fixed at the Victoria Falls National Park. The Zambezi Sun is located next to the falls and we could actually hear the rushing water from our rooms. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livingstone,_Zambia ). We walked from the hotel site to the Falls several times over the two days we were at the Zambezi Sun. One trail leads to the upper head of the falls so that you are looking from the top of the falls. All I needed was a barrel so I could float down the rive and over the falls. I can see the newspaper headline now, " Crazy American barrels over the falls, lands on other crazy Americans swimming in the Zambezi River". Another trail leads to the great views of the wide expanse of the falls.
This is the place to buy those African souvenirs you just had to have. There is an outdoor bazaar just outside the gates of the hotel with most any type of African souvenirs you could want. They are willing to bargain. So much so, that I actually traded an old pair of tennis shoes ( still wet from my trip to the Falls in Zimbabwe) for a silver and amber necklace for my wife. Several other natural bead necklaces, that I purchased for nearly nothing, fell apart in about a month after I returned home as the humidity helped to hatch insect eggs that were embedded in the nuts used.

Repelling Down the Batoka Gorge
I gave my two son-in-laws the option of doing what ever they wanted to do on our last day in Zambia. We could not book the fishing trip we had hoped for, so we opted for a trip to repel down the Batoka Gorge. My impression was a short repel into this beautiful rugged gorge but once we were there I realized it was in fact 170 foot sheer wall of basalt to the bottom. As high as a 16 story building. What was I thinking! I have to admit I was having second thoughts. My two son-in-laws went first, both did a great job, appearing to have done it before. As I strapped on the harness and stepped to the ledge, I felt a slight pain in the pit of my stomach. Fortunately you are facing the wall of stone so your not looking straight down. I did very good the fist 100 feet or so. I pushed away from the wall , descended, pushed away from the wall and descended. Just as I though I might make this out alive the wall wasn't there as I swung in for another push. I had some how turned around backwards. With some slight panic, I descended in a free fall of about thirty feet. It took the helmet on my head an extra 10 seconds to catch up. By the time I hit the ground I was just barely controlling my descent and I almost knocked out the guide at the bottom. At least I didn't break my legs.
The walk out of the Gorge was a long hot trek. The scenery was fantastic but we were watching our footing more than rock formations and the river below. The higher we climbed the more out of breath I got. My heart was not only in my throat but I could feel it beating at the back of my teeth. What a fantastic way to end our journey. Dead tied, yet exhilarated knowing I had accomplished something few people will every get the chance to do.

African Safari/ Preparing for the Adventure

Where To Go


Africa is a large continent with a large variance in topography, wildlife and politics. When I first began making plans I have to admit the Discovery Channel had an influence. There was a special on the country of Botswana and probably like many of you I had little knowledge of this country.

In the Discovery Channel program it showed a wealth of wildlife on large preserves set aside in Botswana. These large preserves encompass huge areas of the Kalahari Desert. At the northern edge of the Kalahari is an unusual area of rivers and finger lakes called the Okavango Delta. There is a large diversity of wildlife and as the dry season arrives the wildlife moves into theses areas and further north to Chobe Reserve. It was the diversity of the wildlife and the wide range of topography that helped me make my decision to visit Botswana. Before I made my final decision I began a search. I checked with the State Department web site for overseas travelers. Botswana is considered a very stable country. The Botswana government has placed a strong emphasis on ecotourism and the country has one of the largest public land preserves in the world. They also have a very stable economy. Considering it has only become an independent country since 1966 they have progressed considerably. I also checked with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Travel Health Advisory. Malaria is still a devastating problem in all of Africa and no less in Botswana. Any one traveling to this area needs to take measures for prevention of malaria. Also, AIDS is rampant. Bring along a friend with the same blood type in case you need a blood transfusion. These two web sites are listed to the side of this page

Next question, how to get to Botswana and what kind of cost are involved? I started a search on line and found many travel companies that promote African travel. There was a large price variance for Safari trips depending on the type of accommodations and the counties you wanted to visit. Just by chance I found Ebright Travel. Connie Ebright is an experienced African traveler who specializes in Safari travel. With her help we booked a trip that took us from South Africa to Botswana where we spent the bulk of our time and then on to Zimbabwe and Zambia.


Staying in lodges while on Safari did not appeal to me . After a childhood of Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller yodeling his way through the jungle, I wanted a true Safari experience. To the chagrin of my two son-in-laws who were coming with me, I decided that camping in tents would be the best way to experience an African Safari. Also, it was important to me to have a small number people on the expedition. In this case there would be only seven of us with one tracker, one guide and a cook.


Timing is everything. It appeared to me that the end of May and beginning of June was a very good time to make this trip. The cost was less, fewer tourist to deal with and it was the beginning of south Africa's winter which hopefully would mean less bugs and less rain. With little rain the underbrush dies back making animal viewing better. However, I did not plan on the extreme cold we were to experience.



What To Pack

Here is a quick list: as little as possible! You will be flying by bush planes to the different reserves in Botswana. No more than 25 pounds of clothing and gear ( i.e. camera, back pack etc.) is allowed per person. This is a challenge for a two week trip. A comprehensive list can be found at www.african-safari-journals.com/safari-packing-list.html . If you pack all that is suggested on this list you will be over the 25 pound limit.
What not to pack:
Swimming suite; unless you want to be eaten by a crocodile
Razor and shaving cream; who are you trying to impress?
2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner; or at least not much; you are only going to
have one or two showers while in the bush, if you are lucky
Water bottle; there will be plenty of bottled water
Re- hydration salts; most of the food is already very salty
Birth control; did I mention you're only going to have 1 or 2 showers
Small unbreakable mirror; believe me you are not going to want to see
yourself after a week in the jungle
Compass; don't bother, if you get lost you're going to die
Deck of cards; unless you are going to play for money
String or rope; unless you are going to hang yourself after you get lost and
don't have a compass
Travel alarm clock; there is already a jungle alarm clock, you'll understand
when you get there
What not to forget:
Camera, extra batteries and extra memory sticks or film; we took over 1100
photos
Copy of your passport; leave a copy at home
Receipt for travelers checks; banks will not honor travelers checks unless
you have this
List of U.S.A. ( or your home country) Consulates in the countries you
are visiting
BugOff shirts and pants; helps reduce pesky bug bites
Pens & pencils; great items to give to the kids you will see along the way
Two pair of shoes/ boots; you can use old tennis shoes for trading
Travel insurance; some will even cover bringing your body home but with a
reduced benefit should you be eaten by a lion,since only the lion poop is
collected and returned to your loved ones
Now you can check out my blog about our arrival in Johannesburg. Always something unexpected when your traveling.